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Janet van Dyne
Character Stat Sheet Public Information Fashion Designer. Business Woman. Super Hero. Celebrity. Janet van Dyne is all of these and more. Known at first as a dilettante, a member of high society due to the size of her trust fund, Janet has since stepped out on her own with her own fashion design studio, Van Dyne Design. Her keen eye for fashion coupled with her business sense has set Janet in the upper echelon of fashion. In addition, it is public knowledge that the jet-setting Janet van Dyne is also the high-flying Avenger known as the Wasp. As the Wasp, Janet uses her size-changing abilities and bio-electric stinger bolts to defend those that are unable to defend themselves. The combination of wealth, fashion and heroics has made her into a well-known celebrity, on the same level as Tony Stark or Sue Storm. Background Born in Cresskill, New Jersey, Janet Van Dyne grew up in a life of luxury. Her father, Vernon Van Dyne, was a world-renowned scientist. Vernon had used his scientific expertise to amass a sizable fortune and dear Janet was the beneficiary of that wealth. As expected, growing up without a want that couldn't be obtained had its effect on Janet. She was a self-centered, capricious dilettante, more concerned with her appearance and how high society saw her than anything having to do with the real world around her. Since everything was provided for her, Janet lived a care-free lifestyle, drifting along without any real purpose. All of that would change with the death of her father. Janet's father was performing an experiment involving a gamma ray projector of his own design. The intention of the device was to communicate with alien life. However, Vernon’s work had not gone unnoticed. Advanced Idea Mechanics had their eye upon Van Dyne’s gamma ray projector and sent an agent to ‘convince’ Vernon to join AIM’s pursuits. When Vernon refused, the AIM agent killed Van Dyne, partly to obtain the gamma projector and mostly to silence Van Dyne. Janet had found her father in time to see the agent escape. With the death of her father, Janet found her world crumbling apart. The grieving daughter found within her a desire to avenge her father's death, to bring her father's killer to justice by any means necessary. She turned to her father's colleague, Dr. Henry Pym, to see if he could provide any help. Janet's determination to do whatever it would take to seek reparation, coupled with Pym's attraction to Janet and his eagerness to help, convinced Henry to reveal his secret identity as Ant-Man and offered to give Janet similar powers. By Pym's hand, Janet underwent an advanced biochemical process. Through a combination of Henry's Pym Particles and genetic manipulation, Janet was now able to shrink herself to insect-sized proportions and grow translucent insect wings. In addition, Pym outfitted Janet with personalized wrist devices that allowed her to discharge bio-electric energy blasts. All that was needed was a costume. Janet herself designed a colorful costume and the superheroine known as the Wasp was born. Together, Ant-Man and the Wasp were able to track down and defeat the killer agent, succeeding in bringing the agent to the authorities for the murder, while also succeeding in destroying the gamma projector for her father. However, Janet stayed with crimefighting and with Henry. She had fallen in love with him practically at first sight and saw that becoming his partner was at least one way to get him to notice her. So, Janet and Henry became a superhero duo, using the abilities that the Pym Particles gave them to adventure together. The pair’s first couple of years together quickly established Janet as a definite hero, though only as Wasp, for the public still saw Janet as the flighty social butterfly. With battles versus the likes of Doctor Doom, the super-scientist Egghead and an army of gamma-irradiated villains led by the Leader, Janet, as the Wasp, is seen as more than just Ant-Man’s junior sidekick. She is seen as a full-fledged partner, demonstrating that she is just as capable as the likes of Iron Man and the Hulk when it comes to superheroics. So, it is of no surprise when Jan, as the Wasp, joined with Iron Man, Ant-Man and Thor to battle a magically-enchanted Hulk and Loki. After breaking the enchantment, the five heroes teamed up, taking out the trickster god and sending him back to Asgard. In the process, the five heroes decide to form a team, dedicated to protecting citizens in times of crisis. It is Janet herself that christened the team, choosing the name that will become an institution in the years to come. The Avengers. Soon after the founding of the Avengers, Janet ‘outed’ herself to the world, revealing that she, Janet van Dyne, is also the Wasp, with support from Tony Stark, who had done the same disclosure not more than two years prior. With the public knowledge that two well-known celebrities were also founding members of one of the greatest superhero organizations, the Avengers’ popularity skyrocketed. Also, with the defeat of villains such as the Mandarin, Graviton, Count Nefaria and Ronan the Accuser, the Avengers proved that they can hold their own, teaming with the Fantastic Four and Captain Marvel to help defeat Ronan. It was through the Avengers’ association with the Fantastic Four that Janet got to know Sue Storm. The two superheroines had similar interests and similar experiences. It was to Sue that Janet confided in, for the two both had troubles in getting the men that they loved to notice them. It was also to Sue that Janet revealed her talent for fashion design. When Sue was finally able to marry Reed Richards, Janet offered to make the wedding dress. Despite of (or because of) the attack on the wedding by Doctor Doom and his army of mind-controlled villains, the wedding captured the attention of the nation. Everyone in the fashion world wanted to know who designed the dress. When Janet saw how much demand there was over what she saw as a simple favor for a friend, she designed to form her own design studio, Van Dyne Design, and went into business for herself, quickly becoming a top name in the world of fashion. Yet, Janet continued to be an Avenger. Even after government sanctions are put in place after it is proven that Stark’s armor was hijacked, Janet remained. Due to her public image, Janet remained on the government-ran Avenger team, taking on the role of chairperson. However, she remained in contact with the underground Avenger team, first in helping Stark form his underground team then acting as an unofficial liaison between the two teams. When both teams teamed up with the Hulk to stop General Ross, Abomination and AIM, Janet was more than willing to coordinate and work with all present to stop the threat. She also was one of the first to flat out refuse orders to arrest the Hulk, prompting the government to shut down their Avenger team. Janet took the time to join Tony Stark and petition the government to reinstate the Avengers, while also concentrating on her business ventures. As a result, the election of John Burnside as President saw the Underground Avengers pardoned and the reinstatement of the Avengers as a government sanctioned team. However, before the line-up could be determined, the event now known as the Merge took place. All Avengers, including Jan, were called to help, in part to prevent the two dimensions from tearing each other apart and also to minimize the impact of the truly cataclysmic event by helping to rebuild the areas devastated by the merger. The rebuilding affects all, including the Avengers, as the new line-up is chosen….and a new home. Janet now continues her self-appointed role, to avenge those that cannot avenge themselves, from the Avengers base at Stark Tower as a member of the reformed Avengers. Personality Extrovert: One simply cannot stay out on the forefront of fashion and not be in touch with the social scene. Growing up, Janet was a social butterfly and that aspect of her personality is still a big part of her. Some may have called her shallow before, since she seemed only concerned with outward appearances and moving in the right social circles, but it was just as much her open, friendly nature that won her friends as anything. Mercurial: Janet is ever changing. It isn't unheard of for her to have a different costume for every day of the week. However, it is much more than just a fickle nature that drives Janet. She is an animated person, quick-witted and certainly unpredictable. This has served her not only with her superhero antics, but also with keeping abreast of the ever-changing landscape of fashion design. Intuitive: They say a woman's intuition is rarely wrong. This is especially true for Janet. Janet has always had a keen and quick insight into situations. This direct perception of truth has served her extremely well with her adventures. It is this intuition that helps Janet to be a leader, in both business and in her extracurricular activities. Devoted: Once Janet sets her mind to something, she becomes committed to it. This devotion manifests in a variety of ways. It can be in the form of romantic isolation, as she remains true to Henry Pym and try to get him to notice her. It also can be in the form of idealism, as she holds true to the purpose of the Avengers: To avenge those that cannot avenge themselves. When pushed, Janet's devotion to her friends and her principles will see her through and give her the strength she needs to succeed. Logs Category:Marvel Features Category:Regular Characters Category:Altered Humans Category:Taken Characters Category:Avengers Category:Flight